Report: Lakers, Knicks could be willing to overpay for Dwyane Wade

This isn’t a scenario any self-respecting Miami Heat fan wants to envision, but it’s on the table: What happens if Dwyane Wade really decides that he wants to leave?

It’s an unanswerable question, at least at this point in time. Would he be willing to take less money to play with LeBron James in Cleveland? Is getting the most money in a new deal the goal? Are titles all that matter at this point? We don’t know — Wade might not even know. And, of course, the simplest answer tends to be the right one. If we apply Occam’s razor to the situation between Wade and the Heat, then the likeliest outcome seems to be Wade returning to Miami.

But, again, if he decides that he wants to leave, then the sharks are circling. And ESPN’s Mike Wallace told the Joe Rose Show on CBS Miami radio that two of the biggest teams in the league, the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks, could be ready to overpay for Wade just to bring him into the fold:

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"I think you’re hearing the Lakers or the Knicks because those teams have the money and they are the more desperate teams to try do something right now. They may think it’s okay to pay Dwyane Wade over what he’s probably worth or match what the Heat’s giving because they are desperate to show an impact now, whereas the Miami Heat are thinking not now necessarily but if I give Dwyane three years where is he gonna be next year and the year after that?"

And that sounds about right. On the one hand, you have Pat Riley, who’s doing his best to think long-term and make sure that the Heat make the best move for their championship future.